---
title: "IndiaCos vs Know Your Customer compared (2026)"
url: https://jurisgrid.com/compare/indiacos-vs-know-your-customer/
reviewed: 2026-11-10
type: comparison
sector: company-data
---
# IndiaCos vs Know Your Customer: which company data API is better in India?

Reviewed: 10 Nov 2026 · Sector: Company and GST Data

## Short answer

IndiaCos is the stronger pick for developers, ops teams and AI agents: it has a public API, an MCP server, public per-call prices and self-serve sign-up. Know Your Customer shows a public API but not a public MCP server, published prices or self-serve sign-up. Pick Know Your Customer for KYB with live MCA retrieval and global registry reach.

- Pick IndiaCos for company, LLP, GST, director and court case data by API and MCP at a flat per-call price.
- Pick Know Your Customer for KYB with live MCA retrieval and global registry reach.

## Key facts

- **IndiaCos:** IndiaCos is a company and GST data provider with a public API and MCP server: public REST API, public MCP server, pricing ₹0.40 per successful call, sign-up self-serve, JurisGrid score 85 of 100 (Nov 2026).
- **Know Your Customer:** Know Your Customer is a company and GST data provider with a public API: public REST API, no public MCP server found, pricing not published, sign-up not published, JurisGrid score 27 of 100 (Nov 2026).

## How do IndiaCos and Know Your Customer score?

IndiaCos scores 85, Know Your Customer scores 27 out of 100. The gap is 58 points.

| Criterion | Weight | IndiaCos | Know Your Customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data coverage and depth | 20 | 4 of 4 | 2 of 4 |
| Freshness and update cadence | 12 | 2 of 4 | 0 of 4 |
| API availability | 15 | 4 of 4 | 3 of 4 |
| MCP and agent readiness | 13 | 4 of 4 | 0 of 4 |
| Pricing transparency | 12 | 4 of 4 | 0 of 4 |
| Self-serve sign-up and free trial | 10 | 4 of 4 | 0 of 4 |
| Documentation and developer experience | 8 | 3 of 4 | 2 of 4 |
| Track record and trust | 5 | 0 of 4 | 0 of 4 |
| Product depth beyond data | 5 | 2 of 4 | 1 of 4 |
| Total score | 100 | 85 | 27 |

## Which features does each one have?

| Feature | IndiaCos | Know Your Customer |
|---|---|---|
| Court record check | Partial | Not published |
| Company master data | Yes | Yes |
| GST lookup | Yes | Not published |
| Director data | Yes | Not published |
| Trademarks | Yes | Not published |
| Charges and defaulter lists | Yes | Not published |
| REST API | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Not published |
| Bulk export | Partial | Not published |
| OpenAPI specification | Yes | Not published |
| OAuth sign-in | Yes | Not published |
| Free credit or free tier | Yes | Not published |
| Pay per call pricing | Yes | Not published |
| Self-serve sign-up | Yes | Not published |
| Public pricing | Yes | Not published |

## How much do IndiaCos and Know Your Customer cost?

| Pricing | IndiaCos | Know Your Customer |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay per call | Not published |
| Public price | INR 0.40 per successful call; errors, not-found and refused calls are free. Prepaid top-ups of INR 500, INR 5,000 and INR 50,000 plus 18% GST. No subscription. | Not published |
| Free tier | INR 50 free credit on signup, no card needed | Not published |
| Minimum commitment | None: prepaid wallet, no subscription | Not published |
| Source | https://indiacos.com/api | Not published |

## Do IndiaCos and Know Your Customer have an API and an MCP server?

| Access | IndiaCos | Know Your Customer |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | Public REST API: https://indiacos.com/api/v1 | Public REST API |
| MCP server | Public MCP server: https://indiacos.com/mcp | Not published |
| Authentication | Bearer API key or X-API-Key; OAuth 2.1 for the MCP server | Not published |
| Docs | https://indiacos.com/api/docs | https://knowyourcustomer.com/developers/coverage/india/ |
| Sign-up | Self-serve | Not published |
| Free tier | INR 50 free credit on signup, no card needed | Not published |
| Rate limits | Not published | Not published |

```bash
# Company master data by CIN
curl -s "https://indiacos.com/api/v1/company/{CIN}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INDIACOS_API_KEY"

# GST registration by GSTIN
curl -s "https://indiacos.com/api/v1/gst/{GSTIN}" -H "Authorization: Bearer $INDIACOS_API_KEY"
```

## What data does each one cover?

**IndiaCos**

- Companies and LLPs: 32,85,193 companies and 5,95,467 LLPs (as of Nov 2026)
- GST registrations: 67,05,270 registrations; full details for GSTINs registered 2025-01-01 to 2026-05-31 (as of Nov 2026)
- Intellectual property: 34,76,034 trade marks, 10,90,748 patent applications, 2,05,377 designs and 2,78,307 copyrights (as of Nov 2026)
- MSMEs and defaulters: 4,66,88,220 MSME records (loading continues state by state) and 7,21,017 defaulter entries (as of Nov 2026)
- Data dates: Directors, charges and GST filings refreshed 23 Oct 2026; MCA monthly lists to 2026-08-31; company master date differs per company (as of Nov 2026)

**Know Your Customer**

- Coverage: 140+ registry connections globally (company claim) (as of Nov 2026)

## Which one should you choose?

### Choose IndiaCos if

- you want AI agents to call company data through a public MCP server with OAuth and an agent sign-up flow
- you want a flat INR 0.40 per successful call, with errors and not-found calls free, and INR 50 free credit before you pay
- you want company, LLP, GST, director, charge and court case records through one key and one per-call price
- you need to go from a PAN to all linked GSTINs, or from a company name to its trade marks, patents and defaulter entries
- you want typo tolerant search and a plain English business finder over 71 business categories

Skip it if you need audited financial statements or a fixed annual fee with a contract: IndiaCos is a prepaid per-call service built from public records, and its company master date differs by company.

### Choose Know Your Customer if

- you want live MCA retrieval inside a KYB platform that claims 140+ registry connections globally
- you onboard businesses in several countries and want one KYB vendor beyond India
- you want to evaluate Know Your Customer through its demo or sales conversation before deciding

Skip it if you need a public MCP server, published prices or self-serve sign-up: these were not found for Know Your Customer in this review.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is better for company data, IndiaCos or Know Your Customer?

IndiaCos is the stronger choice for developers, ops teams and AI agents that need company data by API: it has a public API, an MCP server, public per-call prices and self-serve sign-up. Know Your Customer is the better fit for KYB with live MCA retrieval and global registry reach. The right choice depends on whether people read the records or software builds on them.

### Does Know Your Customer have an API or an MCP server?

Know Your Customer offers a public API with published documentation. No public MCP server was found for Know Your Customer. IndiaCos offers a REST API at indiacos.com/api/v1 with an OpenAPI 3.1 spec and an MCP server at indiacos.com/mcp with OAuth 2.1 sign-in, and one prepaid wallet pays for both.

### How much does Know Your Customer cost compared with IndiaCos?

Know Your Customer does not publish a full price list in this review. IndiaCos charges INR 0.40 per successful call, with errors and not-found calls free, INR 50 free credit and no subscription. Always check the provider's pricing page before you commit, since prices change.

### Can an AI agent use Know Your Customer or IndiaCos?

Yes, an AI agent can use IndiaCos: it runs a public MCP server with 25 tools covering companies, GST, directors, court cases and IP records. Know Your Customer shows no public MCP server in this review, so an agent would need a custom wrapper around its API. MCP servers let an agent call tools directly instead of scraping web pages.

### When should you choose Know Your Customer instead of IndiaCos?

Choose Know Your Customer when you want live MCA retrieval inside a KYB platform that claims 140+ registry connections globally. It is also a good fit when you onboard businesses in several countries and want one KYB vendor beyond India. Choose IndiaCos less readily when you need audited financial statements or a fixed annual fee with a contract: IndiaCos is a prepaid per-call service built from public records, and its company master date differs by company.

### What data does IndiaCos cover compared with Know Your Customer?

IndiaCos covers 32,85,193 companies, 5,95,467 LLPs and 67,05,270 GST registrations, with directors, charges, court case summaries and 34,76,034 trade marks. As published, Know Your Customer covers: 140+ registry connections globally (company claim). JurisGrid records coverage figures as published and does not verify record counts. Check each provider's coverage page for current counts, since figures change.

## Related

- [IndiaCos profile](https://jurisgrid.com/providers/indiacos/index.md)
- [Know Your Customer profile](https://jurisgrid.com/providers/know-your-customer/index.md)
- [Best company data APIs in India](https://jurisgrid.com/best/company-data-api-india/index.md)
- [AuthBridge vs Signzy vs IndiaCos](https://jurisgrid.com/compare/authbridge-vs-signzy-vs-indiacos/index.md)
- [Dun & Bradstreet India vs EasyLeadz vs IndiaCos](https://jurisgrid.com/compare/dun-bradstreet-india-vs-easyleadz-vs-indiacos/index.md)
- [GSTZen vs Masters India vs IndiaCos](https://jurisgrid.com/compare/gstzen-vs-masters-india-vs-indiacos/index.md)
- [Methodology](https://jurisgrid.com/methodology/index.md)